National Republican., 1887-07-25
CONVICT LABOR.
Come InterostIng Figures on Prison
Made Goods In tho United States.


Carroll d. Wright, commissioner of labor,
has received from the public printer ad-
vance copies Of his second annual report,
which relates entirely to the subject OF con-
vict labor and represents but part OF the
work Of the labor bureau during the last
fiscal year. A report relating to the strikes
from 1881 to 1881 inclusive, and to the dis
tribution OF products, Is I'm course OF prepara-
tion, and will appear as the third annual re-
port Of the commissioner about the middle
OF October next.
From the report in hand II appears that
the total number OF prisoners OF all grades
employed in the institutions comprehended
in the report is 64,3i0, the males number
ing 5s,45l and the females 5,S95. or this
total number 1921 are engaged In produc-
tive labor OF some kind, 10, 100 arc en-
gagged in prison duties, and 3,972 are sick
or idle. or the total number, h,s27 arc
employed under the public-account system,
under the piece-price system, and 0,10l
under the lease. system. The state
having the largest number OF
convicts in the institutions considered is
New York, its total being 0,703. Included
in these computations are | l,240 prisoners
Of the United States sentenced to different
penal institutions OF the teveral states and
lut pIlbOu VI tlt
classes OF institutions treated OF is, as stated,
G4,349, aproportlon OF the population OF
the United States as at present estimated Of
In $50; but the proportion OF those en-
gagged In mechanical, agricultural, and
mining pursuits in the whole country is
about one convictto every 800 persons em-
ployed.
by productive laber in the penal institu-
/ tions Of the whole country is $2s, ,753, 800.
IL took 1927 conyicts one year to produce
\ this total value. II would have taken 49,
534 free laborers to have produced the
same quantity Of goods In the same time;
or. In other words, free laborer is equal
toll. % convicts, or, TO reverse the statement
one convict is equal to .Is OF free laborer.
The number OF free laborers necessary TO
perform the same labor has been figured
from the estimates Of prison officials and
/ others familiar with the work.
Il The state producing the largest amount
| OF cOnvict-made goods is New York, the
value there being S6,236, ,2G7 worth Of con-
/ vict made goods. Indiana comes next,
with product of the value Of $l,570,90l,
| while Ohio stands next, with product Of
| 81 ,342, ,020; then Pennsylvania, $1,3l7,2G5;
\ Kansas, l,270, ,5i5; Tennessee, with only
| 81 ,142 0G0; then Michigan, ST. ,0s7, 735, aud
| last of the states producing over million
| dollars worth, New Jersey, S1,0l9,60S.
| Each Of the other states and territories drop
below the million-dollar point, Dakota
coming at the bottom Of the list, with
II product Of 11,571.
Boots and shoes lead, the product being
| $40, 100,275, or 35.13 per cent. Of the whole
| product Of the penal institutions Of the
II country; the next largest item being the
manufacture Of clothing, which is $780,
G34, while carriages and wagons are manu-,
factured to the value Of $1,9s9,790. In all
| other industries the product is less than
| 100000, the smallest being lumber, to
the value Of S83,s90. These values, 1t
should be remembered, are for the year
| covered by the investigation.
| The industry employing the greatest
number Of convicts is that OF the manufac-
ture Of boots and shoes, in which 7,47d
males and 1873 females, or a total OF 1909
| prisoners, are engaged. The industry com
sons employed are concerned, is clothing,
engaging 1851, while stone employs 4,S7G;
then come farming, gardening, &c, with
1860, furniture employing 3,446, and min
ing 3,273. The industry employing the
smallest number In the whole country is
lumber, in which POS only are employed,
carpeting employing 2i2.
As stated above, the total product of all
the penal institutions in the country for
the year 1887 was SOS, 800, which is
54-100 OF per cent. of the value of the
total products OF the industries OF the
country. 10 produce the products of
the industries Of the whole country In 1880
there were pail In wages S9i7, 1858, ,795, or 81
In wages to $5.66 in product. The wages
paid by contractors and leseees to states
and counties for the labor OF convicts, from
which resulted product OF the value OF
S2S, 753, 800, was S3, 5l2, go, or 81 In convict
labor wages to 1913 Of product Of convict.
II As showing the amount OF competition
in some Of the leading industries, between
convict and free labor, the statement Is
made regarding the boot and shoe trade
for the year is 81 ,493 in all the states IN
which boots and shoes are manufactured In
prisons, while the per capita for convict la
Dor is 81 1897 per annum. The product for
all states, whether employing convlcts on
boots or shoes or not, is ST..
49, ,ll These values hUa,. show oT, that that.
concerned the eSs convict I Produces sa0ss as
much per annun as the free laborer, lack
ing $169 per capita. In boots and shoes
alone, in all the states wherein they are
made In prison, 81 of prison product Is
represented by $lS.23 of free labor product.
OF the persons employed 10 their manufac.
ture there is convict employed to ID 2 free
laborers. In New York, the heaviest boot
/
cerned, there is ] convict employed In
this Industry to s free laborers, while in
Massachusetts,, the largest producing state
in boots and shoes, there is one convict
employed to ILL free laborers.
From an appended table II appears that
the total income Of the different institu
items for the year was Sl1 ,33O2i1; the total
nance OF 0,104 leased convlcts.
In discussing the subject of convict labor
the commissioner says: "It is universally
conceded that convicts should be employed
at some useful labor. Formerly the convic,
labor question meant whether convlcts
should be employed in useful labor or at
what is known as penal labor; that is, ell
gagged In turning crank, running q tread
mill, or some such profitless exercises, hsv
ing In itself no useful results beyond the
exercise of the body, and this exercise being
usually carried so far as to injure the body.
At the present time the convict labor prob.
lem, briefly stated, Is, How shall convlcts
be employed In useful labor without unduly
competing with labor outside of penal In
stitutions, either in the wages OF labor or iu
the price Of products ~
The commissioner discusses at some
length numerous plans proposed and the
several systems OF employing convlcts now
In vogue. In each of these serious faults
are found, the principal one being that by
either of them convict labor is brought
into direct competition with free labor
The plan which finds most favor with the
commissioner is that of hand labor under
the public account system. or this plan he
says; at involves the carrying on OF
the industries OF prison fol
the benefit Of the state, but
without the use Of power machinery, tools
and hand machines only being allowed, the
goods to be made to consist OF such articles as
boots and shoes, the coarse wooden and
cotton cloth needed for the institution oil
for sale to other institutions, harness and
saddlery, and many other goods now made
by machinery or not made at all in prisons.
With such a plan in vogue throughout
the United States, or In the majority
| of stataa. there cnnld ha No cnmnlAlnts aa tr